Facebook Plans to Introduce Hashtags, Reports Say

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Facebook might become a bit more like Twitter soon. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and All Things D, Facebook is experimenting with using a popular Twitter feature -- the hashtag.

Facebook is said to be working on ways to incorporate the hashtag into the service. Like it does on Twitter, the #+word combination would group conversations around specific topics. Currently on Facebook you can tag a topic or person who has a Facebook account or page, but you cannot simply see what all Facebook users are saying about a specific topic.

But it might be a while before you start seeing the # symbol showing up in your feed.

“It is unclear how far along Facebook’s work on the hashtag is and the feature isn’t likely to be introduced imminently,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

When reached by ABC News, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We do not comment on rumor or speculation.”

Instagram, which was purchased by Facebook for $1 billion last year, also incorporates the hashtag. Users can tag their photos with hashtags and they will be grouped together when you select that tag. The functionality would also keep people on Facebook longer and talking about specific topics, all which would be a boon for Facebook’s advertisers, the Journal said.

The functionality would also complement Facebook’s new News Feed, which was introduced last week. The new feed allows users to see feeds with just specific types of content, including photos, games and music.

This week, Facebook also rolled out a new design to its Timeline, which groups status and updates on the left side and content and apps on the right.